Fall

The light is golden. The days are shorter, evenings cooler. Leaves flare red and orange before they fall, and the scent of earthy decay rises in the night. Just a bit north of here, gardens have been laid to rest by several killing frosts, and gardeners heave sighs of loss (and relief). Summer has turned away and winter is coming, and we’re in a sort of meteorological “thin place” between them, already missing the warmth but thrilling to the sound of geese high overhead.

Here in the northeast, we are ushered into winter by a great blaze of colors, but in a couple of weeks it all calms down to brown, grey, and white. It’s a good time to have some ideas, and blank paper, and, with luck, a passable internet connection. And nothing’s better that a cat on your lap when there’s a wind at the door.